Analyte monitoring system and methods for managing power and noise

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein are methods and systems for conserving energy of a power source of an analyte monitoring device. Also disclosed herein are methods and systems for reducing noise during data transmissions to and from the analyte monitoring device.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/238,557, entitled “Analyte Monitoring System andMethods for Managing Power and Noise”, filed on Aug. 31, 2009, and U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/247,537 entitled “AnalyteMeasurement System for Managing Hardware and Temperature”, filed on Sep.30, 2009, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Diabetes Mellitus is an incurable chronic disease in which the body doesnot produce or properly utilize insulin. Insulin is a hormone producedby the pancreas that regulates blood sugar (glucose). In particular,when blood sugar levels rise, e.g., after a meal, insulin lowers theblood sugar levels by facilitating blood glucose to move from the bloodinto the body cells. Thus, when the pancreas does not produce sufficientinsulin (a condition known as Type I Diabetes) or does not properlyutilize insulin (a condition known as Type II Diabetes), the bloodglucose remains in the blood resulting in hyperglycemia or abnormallyhigh blood sugar levels.

The vast and uncontrolled fluctuations in blood glucose levels in peoplesuffering from diabetes cause long-term, serious complications. Some ofthese complications include blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage.Additionally, it is known that diabetes is a factor in acceleratingcardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis (hardening of thearteries), leading to stroke, coronary heart disease, and otherdiseases. Accordingly, one important and universal strategy in managingdiabetes is to control blood glucose levels.

The first step in managing blood glucose levels is testing andmonitoring blood glucose levels by using conventional techniques, suchas drawing blood samples, applying the blood to a test strip, anddetermining the blood glucose level using colorimetric, electrochemical,or photometric test meters. Another more recent technique for monitoringblood glucose levels is by using a continuous or automatic glucosemonitoring system. Unlike conventional blood glucose meters, continuousanalyte monitoring systems employ an insertable or implantable sensor,which continuously detects and monitors blood glucose levels. Theseblood glucose levels may then be displayed to a user to assist the userin managing the user's diabetes. However, as battery life drains fromone or more components of the continuous analyte monitoring system, suchas a receiver, data corresponding to the monitored blood glucose levelsmay be lost or become corrupt if the receiver of the analyte monitoringsystem shuts down due to lack of power in a rechargeable power source ofthe receiver. Additionally, noise produced by various components of theanalyte monitoring system may interfere with a signal that conveys themonitored blood glucose levels.

INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The following patents, applications and/or publications are incorporatedherein by reference for all purposes: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,545,382;4,711,245; 5,262,035; 5,262,305; 5,264,104; 5,320,715; 5,356,786;5,509,410; 5,543,326; 5,593,852; 5,601,435; 5,628,890; 5,820,551;5,822,715; 5,899,855; 5,918,603; 6,071,391; 6,103,033; 6,120,676;6,121,009; 6,134,461; 6,143,164; 6,144,837; 6,161,095; 6,175,752;6,270,455; 6,284,478; 6,299,757; 6,338,790; 6,377,894; 6,461,496;6,503,381; 6,514,460; 6,514,718; 6,540,891; 6,560,471; 6,579,690;6,591,125; 6,592,745; 6,600,997; 6,605,200; 6,605,201; 6,616,819;6,618,934; 6,650,471; 6,654,625; 6,676,816; 6,730,200; 6,736,957;6,746,582; 6,749,740; 6,764,581; 6,773,671; 6,881,551; 6,893,545;6,932,892; 6,932,894; 6,942,518; 7,041,468; 7,167,818; and 7,299,082;U.S. Published Application Nos. 2004/0186365, now U.S. Pat. No.7,811,231; 2005/0182306, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,771,183; 2006/0025662, nowU.S. Pat. No. 7,740,581; 2006/0091006; 2007/0056858, now U.S. Pat. No.8,298,389; 2007/0068807, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,846,311; 2007/0095661;2007/0108048, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,918,975; 2007/0199818, now U.S. Pat.No. 7,811,430; 2007/0227911, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,887,682; 2007/0233013;2008/0066305, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,895,740; 2008/0081977; 2008/0102441,now U.S. Pat. No. 7,822,557; 2008/0148873, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,802,467;2008/0161666; 2008/0267823; and 2009/0054748, now U.S. Pat. No.7,885,698; U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/461,725, now U.S. Pat.No. 7,866,026; 12/131,012; 12/393,921; 12/242,823, now U.S. Pat. No.8,219,173; 12/363,712, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,346,335; 12/495,709;12/698,124; 12/698,129; 12/714,439; 12/794,721, now U.S. Pat. No.8,595,607; and 12/842,013, and U.S. Provisional Application Nos.61/317,243, 61/345,562, and 61/361,374.

SUMMARY

Embodiments described herein relate to systems and methods forselectively disabling components of an analyte monitoring device basedon a percentage of power remaining in a power source of the analytemonitoring device. As such, the analyte monitoring device is configuredto determine a temperature level of the power source of the analytemonitoring device, determine a level of power remaining in the powersource of the analyte monitoring device, and selectively deactivate atleast one component of the analyte monitoring device when at least oneof the temperature level of the power source reaches a predeterminedtemperature threshold or when the level of power remaining in the powersource reaches a predetermined power threshold. Also disclosed hereinare methods and systems for reducing noise caused by components of theanalyte monitoring device during data transmission and/or reception.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become more fully apparent from the following detaileddescription of the embodiments, the appended claims and the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A detailed description of various aspects, features, and embodiments ofthe subject matter described herein is provided with reference to theaccompanying drawings, which are briefly described below. The drawingsare illustrative and are not necessarily drawn to scale, with somecomponents and features being exaggerated for clarity. The drawingsillustrate various aspects and features of the present subject matterand may illustrate one or more embodiment(s) or example(s) of thepresent subject matter in whole or in part.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a data monitoring and managementsystem according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a receiver unit according to embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a battery management feature of a receiveraccording to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method for determining whether areceiver is to enter a play dead mode according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a state diagram of battery charge and discharge features of areceiver according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates temperature and voltage conditions of a receiverentering a play dead mode according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a portion of a receiver according toembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method for reducing noiseaccording to embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 9 is a state diagram of a power mode of a receiver according toembodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present disclosure is described in detail, it is to beunderstood that this disclosure is not limited to particular embodimentsdescribed, as such may, of course, vary. It is also to be understoodthat the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describingparticular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting, sincethe scope of the present disclosure will be limited only by the appendedclaims.

Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that eachintervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unlessthe context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lowerlimit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in thatstated range, is encompassed within the disclosure. The upper and lowerlimits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in thesmaller ranges as also encompassed within the disclosure, subject to anyspecifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated rangeincludes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both ofthose included limits are also included in the disclosure.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this disclosure belongs. Although any methods andmaterials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also beused in the practice or testing of the present disclosure, the preferredmethods and materials are now described. All publications mentionedherein are incorporated herein by reference to disclose and describe themethods and/or materials in connection with which the publications arecited.

It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, thesingular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise.

The publications discussed herein are provided solely for theirdisclosure prior to the filing date of the present application. Nothingherein is to be construed as an admission that the present disclosure isnot entitled to antedate such publication by virtue of prior disclosure.Further, the dates of publication provided may be different from theactual publication dates which may need to be independently confirmed.

As will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading thisdisclosure, each of the individual embodiments described and illustratedherein has discrete components and features which may be readilyseparated from or combined with the features of any of the other severalembodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the presentdisclosure.

The figures shown herein are not necessarily drawn to scale, with somecomponents and features being exaggerated for clarity.

Various exemplary embodiments of the analyte monitoring system andmethods of the disclosure are described in further detail below.Although the disclosure is described primarily with respect to a glucosemonitoring system, each aspect of the disclosure is not intended to belimited to the particular embodiment so described. Accordingly, it is tobe understood that such description should not be construed to limit thescope of the disclosure, and it is to be understood that the analytemonitoring system can be configured to monitor a variety of analytes, asdescribed below.

FIG. 1 illustrates a data monitoring and management system such as, forexample, analyte (e.g., glucose) monitoring system 100 in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure. In certain embodiments, theanalyte monitoring system 100 may be a continuous monitoring system, asemi-continuous monitoring system, a discrete monitoring system or anon-demand monitoring system. The analyte monitoring system 100 includesa sensor 101, a transmitter unit 102 coupleable to the sensor 101, and aprimary receiver unit 104 which is configured to communicate with thetransmitter unit 102 via a bi-directional communication link 103. Theprimary receiver unit 104 may be further configured to transmit data toa data processing terminal 105 for evaluating the data received by theprimary receiver unit 104. Moreover, the data processing terminal 105 inone embodiment may be configured to receive data directly from thetransmitter unit 102 via a communication link which may optionally beconfigured for bi-directional communication. Accordingly, transmitterunit 102 and/or receiver unit 104 may include a transceiver.

Also shown in FIG. 1 is an optional secondary receiver unit 106 which isoperatively coupled to the communication link and configured to receivedata transmitted from the transmitter unit 102. Moreover, as shown inthe Figure, the secondary receiver unit 106 is configured to communicatewith the primary receiver unit 104 as well as the data processingterminal 105. Indeed, the secondary receiver unit 106 may be configuredfor bidirectional wireless communication with each or one of the primaryreceiver unit 104 and the data processing terminal 105. In oneembodiment of the present disclosure, the secondary receiver unit 106may be configured to include a limited number of functions and featuresas compared with the primary receiver unit 104. As such, the secondaryreceiver unit 106 may be configured substantially in a smaller compacthousing or embodied in a device such as a wrist watch, pager, mobilephone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), for example. Alternatively, thesecondary receiver unit 106 may be configured with the same orsubstantially similar functionality as the primary receiver unit 104.The receiver unit may be configured to be used in conjunction with adocking cradle unit, for example for one or more of the following orother functions: placement by bedside, for re-charging, for datamanagement, for night time monitoring, and/or bidirectionalcommunication device.

In one aspect sensor 101 may include two or more sensors, eachconfigured to communicate with transmitter unit 102. Furthermore, whileonly one, transmitter unit 102, communication link 103, and dataprocessing terminal 105 are shown in the embodiment of the analytemonitoring system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, in certain embodiments, theanalyte monitoring system 100 may include one or more sensors, multipletransmitter units 102, communication links 103, and data processingterminals 105. Moreover, within the scope of the present disclosure, theanalyte monitoring system 100 may be a continuous monitoring system, orsemi-continuous, or a discrete monitoring system. In a multi-componentenvironment, each device is configured to be uniquely identified by eachof the other devices in the system so that communication conflict isreadily resolved between the various components within the analytemonitoring system 100.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the sensor 101 isphysically positioned in or on the body of a user whose analyte level isbeing monitored. The sensor 101 may be configured to continuously samplethe analyte level of the user and convert the sampled analyte level intoa corresponding data signal for transmission by the transmitter unit102. In certain embodiments, the transmitter unit 102 may be physicallycoupled to the sensor 101 so that both devices are integrated in asingle housing and positioned on the user's body. The transmitter unit102 may perform data processing such as filtering and encoding on datasignals and/or other functions, each of which corresponds to a sampledanalyte level of the user, and in any event transmitter unit 102transmits analyte information to the primary receiver unit 104 via thecommunication link 103. Additional detailed description of thecontinuous analyte monitoring system, its various components includingthe functional descriptions of the transmitter are provided in, but notlimited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,134,461, 6,175,752, 6,121,611, 6,560,471,and 6,746,582, and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0278332 andelsewhere, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated byreference for all purposes.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a receiver 200 according to embodiments ofthe present disclosure. In certain embodiments, receiver 200 may be theprimary receiver unit 104 (FIG. 1) or the secondary receiver unit 106 asdescribed above. As illustrated in the block diagram, the receiver 200includes an analyte test strip interface 201, (e.g., blood glucose teststrip port), a radio frequency (RF) receiver 202, a user input mechanism203 (e.g., one or more keys of a keypad, a touch-sensitive screen, avoice-activated input command unit etc.), a temperature detectionsection 204, and a clock 205, each of which is operatively coupled to areceiver processor 207. In certain embodiments, the receiver 200 alsoincludes a power supply 206, such as, for example, a rechargeablebattery, operatively coupled to a power conversion and monitoringsection 208. Further, the power conversion and monitoring section arealso coupled to the receiver processor 207. A receiver serialcommunication section 209, and an output 210, such as, for example adisplay, are each operatively coupled to the receiver processor 207. Incertain embodiments and as briefly discussed above, the analytemonitoring system 100 is a continuous glucose monitoring system, and thetest strip interface 201 includes a glucose level testing portion tomanually receive a glucose test strip to determine the glucose level ofa blood sample applied to the test strip. In response to receiving atest strip, the receiver 200 may be configured to output blood glucoseinformation determined from the test strip on the display. Additionally,the test strip can be used to calibrate a sensor such as, for examplesensor 101.

In accordance with an embodiment, the receiver 200 includes twosections. The first section is an analog interface section that isconfigured to communicate with the transmitter unit 102 via thecommunication link 103. In certain embodiments, the analog interfacesection may include an RF receiver and an antenna for receiving andamplifying the data signals from the transmitter unit 102, which arethereafter, demodulated with a local oscillator and filtered through aband-pass filter. The second section of the receiver is a dataprocessing section which is configured to process the data signalsreceived from the transmitter unit 102 such as by performing datadecoding, error detection and correction, data clock generation, anddata bit recovery.

In certain embodiments, various data processing functionalities areexecuted by the receiver 200 such as, for example, calibration ofanalyte levels received from the sensor 101 and the transmitter unit 102and techniques for managing power and noise of the analyte monitoringsystem 100, based on the periodic transmission of data from thetransmitter unit 102.

In certain embodiments, a receiver 200 has an operating mode whichprevents a user from operating the receiver 200 or suspends ordeactivates certain functionalities of the receiver during certainconditions. Such conditions may include a low battery level of thereceiver 200, such as, for example, a low battery level that promptshardware shutdown. Other conditions may include low or high operatingtemperatures of the receiver 200 that may cause data corruption orerroneous behavior if the receiver 200 were to continue operating undersuch conditions. As will be described in greater detail below, thissuspended functionality mode is referred herein as a play dead mode. Inplay dead mode, the receiver 200 continues to run a main clock andperform certain internal operations to keep desired data updated andcurrent. Such operations and/or data may include operations and datacorresponding to sensor life, calibration, timing of the receipt of datapackets and the like. Although certain operations remain active, otheroperations of the receiver 200 are suspended. In certain embodiments,the operations that are suspended include writing data to memory, suchas, for example a flash memory of the receiver 200, outputting soundssuch as alarms, tones and/or other notifications, displaying data on adisplay unit, or communicating commands to remotely controlled device,such as, for example, a pump.

In certain embodiments, one or more processors of the receiver 200utilize a battery monitoring algorithm which performs a charge countingroutine when determining whether to enter the play dead mode. Morespecifically, the charge counting routine in certain embodimentsincludes determining an estimate corresponding to an amount of batterycharge available on a well-functioning battery during the lifecycle ofthe receiver 200. In certain embodiments, the battery monitoringalgorithm takes into account variations in batteries from differentmanufacturers as well as an estimate of degradation of the batterycapacity due to aging over the lifetime of the battery.

Referring to FIG. 3, in certain embodiments, the battery monitoringalgorithm and associated battery management and charging functionalitiesof the receiver 200 is performed by power management module 300. Incertain embodiments, the power management module 300 is equivalent topower conversion and monitoring section 208 (FIG. 2) and includes abattery charger 310 and a fuel gauge 320. In one aspect, the powermanagement module 300 is configured to prevent a power supply 206 (e.g.,rechargeable battery) of the receiver 200 from charging when a detectedtemperature of the receiver 200 and/or the battery is not in safeoperating range. In certain embodiments, the power management module 300is configured to prevent the battery from being continuously chargedafter the battery has been charging for a maximum charging period (e.g.,more than about 3 hours). In certain embodiments, when the remainingpower level of a battery of the receiver 200 reaches a predeterminedminimum threshold level, the power management module 300 is configuredto cut off power to one or more processors of the receiver 200, whichmay suspend or deactivate various functionalities of the receiver 200.

For example, the receiver 200 may have a user interface processor 330configured to process commands received from, and output data to,various user interface components 340. In certain embodiments, the userinterface components 340 may include, one or more buttons disposed on ahousing of the receiver 200, a display, such as, for example a touchsensitive display, a sound synthesizer, a vibration component, and/or abacklight. Although specific components are mentioned, it iscontemplated that the receiver may include additional user interfacecomponents configured to enable a user to interact with the receiver200. In certain embodiments, the user interface processor 330 isconfigured to interact with the various user interface components 340including updating the display of the receiver 200, processing receivedglucose data, maintaining a log of historical information, operating thesound synthesizer and/or the vibration component, and/or interface withthe power management module 300. In addition to the user interfaceprocessor 330, the receiver 200 may also include glucose engineprocessor 350 configured to receive and process analyte data receivedfrom a transmitter, such as, for example, transmitter unit 102 (FIG. 1)and/or data received from a test strip port 360. In certain embodiments,test strip port 360 may be equivalent to test strip interface 201 (FIG.2). Depending on how much power each of the above mentioned processorsare consuming, one or more operations or functionalities of the receiver200 that are controlled by each of the above mentioned processors may bedeactivated or suspended when entering the play dead mode.

In certain embodiments, the battery monitoring algorithm discussed aboveincorporates several design constraints and considerations. For example,one consideration is discharge of the battery of the receiver 200. Inone aspect, the battery of the receiver 200 is a lithium-ion battery. Asthese types of batteries may be damaged when deeply discharged (e.g.,discharging the battery below a certain percentage of the chargecapacity of the battery), the power management module 300 may beconfigured to cut or reduce power to one or more processors of thereceiver 200 when the battery voltage drops below a certain voltageminimum threshold (e.g., about 3.3V).

In certain embodiments, when the voltage remaining in the battery dropsbelow a certain threshold, for example about 3.6V, the battery isconsidered an empty battery and the power management module 300 reducesor cuts power to one or more of the processors to conserve the remainingbattery power. In such situations, and as described above, when thepower management module 300 cuts power from the battery, certainfunctionalities of the receiver 200 are disabled while otherfunctionalities of the receiver 200 may remain active. In one aspect,one or more processors of the receiver 200 may be configured todetermine which components and/or operations (e.g. writing to flashmemory, updating a display, etc.) controlled by a particular processorare consuming the most power. The processor may then deactivate one ormore operations and/or components that are consuming the most powerwhile other operations and/or components controlled by that processorremain active.

For example, the user interface processor 330 may control a display anda light source of the receiver 200. When battery power reaches thepredetermined minimum threshold, the user interface processor 330 maydetermine that continued operation of the light source will require morepower than operation of the display. As such, the light source will bedeactivated until the battery of the receiver 200 is recharged, but thedisplay remains active. Although one component controlled by a processormay remain active while another component is deactivated as wasdescribed above, it is contemplated that as battery power continues todrain, the active component (e.g., the active display) controlled by theuser interface processor 330 may be subsequently deactivated whenremaining power of the battery reaches a second predetermined minimumthreshold. When this threshold is reached, the processor of the receiver200 may again determine which active component and/or operation isconsuming the most battery power and temporarily deactivate thatparticular component or operation.

In another aspect, temperature damage to the battery may also beprevented using the power management module 300. For example, alithium-ion battery can be damaged if the battery is exposed to extremetemperatures, especially hot temperatures. Additionally, low batterytemperature may cause the internal resistance of the battery to increasesignificantly. The increase in internal resistance results in a voltagedrop when the device turns on high current loads such as, for example,when a display of the receiver 200 is activated or when an alarm isoutput. It is beneficial to avoid or prevent voltage drops of a batterybecause a voltage drop may cause the operating system of the receiver200 to unexpectedly reset. As a result of the reset, data may be lost.In certain embodiments, the temperature of the battery is monitoredwhile the battery is being charged. If the temperature of the batteryexceeds a threshold temperature, the processor of the receiver 200issues a command to temporarily discontinue charging the battery.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method 400 for determining whether a receiver, suchas, for example receiver 200 (FIG. 2) is to enter a play dead mode,according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 4,initially a processor of the receiver 200 determines an amount of poweror charge remaining in a power source of the receiver 200 (410). Incertain embodiments, a processor of the receiver 200, such as, forexample, a user interface processor 330 (FIG. 3), is configured tocollect and maintain battery information, such as charge countinformation (e.g., an amount of power remaining in the battery), at anygiven time. In addition to determining the battery information, the userinterface processor 330 of the receiver 200 may be configured todetermine battery aging error. For example, due to the age of a battery,a small percentage of battery capacity may be lost during its usage.Accordingly, this error may be detected and the actual capacity of thebattery based on the current age of the battery is updated. Thus, whenthe remaining charge level of the battery is determined, thedetermination is based on the current capacity of the aged batteryrather than the capacity of the battery when it was new.

In certain embodiments, when the receiver 200 is powered on, the chargecount of the battery is determined based on certain conditions. Forexample, if the receiver 200 is recovering from a hard or soft reset,battery information that was previously stored in a memory of thereceiver 200 is checked to determine if the battery information isvalid. Such a determination may be made by the processor comparing thestored battery information to an estimate of the remaining power in thepower source. If the battery information stored in the memory isvalidated, the charge count of the battery is set as the batteryinformation that is stored in the memory. In situations where the systemis reset due to a power on procedure, such as for example, powering onthe receiver 200, the charge count stored in the memory is retrieved andchecked for validity. If the battery information in memory is valid, thestored battery information is compared to an actual voltage reading fromthe battery. If the stored battery information is within a predeterminedrange, such as ±0.5V of the actual voltage read from the battery, thecharge count of the battery is set to the value that was stored in thememory. In another aspect, if it is determined by the user interfaceprocessor 330 that the battery voltage is below a minimum threshold,such as 3.6V or less, the charge count is set to zero and the receiver200 enters play dead mode and/or prompts the user to begin rechargingthe battery. If the stored battery information is invalid, the chargecount is initialized to zero and the user is prompted, via a display oralarm notification, that the battery of the receiver 200 needs to berecharged.

In certain embodiments, the user interface processor 330 of the receiver200 receives a charge count interrupt signal, and based on the signal,determines when the battery is being charged, when the battery is fullycharged, and when power from the battery is being discharged. Forexample, when the charge count interrupt signal is received by theprocessor and the signal is high, the user interface processor 330 isconfigured to increment a charge count. However, when the charge countinterrupt signal is received and the signal is low, the user interfaceprocessor 330 subtracts one charge count. Thus, based on the chargecount, the user interface processor 330 may determine how much powerremains in the battery and/or when the charge count has reached amaximum count.

In certain embodiments, the user interface processor 330 of the receiver200 is configured to calculate and display an amount of power remainingin the battery of the receiver 200. As discussed above, when theremaining battery power reaches a predetermined minimum threshold level,the user interface processor 330 is configured to issue a command tooutput a notification to the user that the receiver 200 is about toenter the play dead mode because the remaining battery power is at orbelow a threshold power level. In another aspect, the user interfaceprocessor 330 is also configured to notify the user when the battery ofthe receiver 200 is fully charged. In certain embodiments, the displayof the receiver 200 is configured to visually output the remaining powerof the battery of the receiver 200. In certain embodiments, theremaining power of the battery of the receiver 200 is output in the formof an icon that displays an amount of power remaining in the battery. Italso serves as an indication that all subsystems (e.g., test strip portfunctionality, display functionality, etc.) of the receiver 200 can beused without the risk of data loss or data corruption due to sudden orunexpected receiver 200 shutdown.

In certain embodiments, the battery icon is output on the display havingat least four indicators with each of the indicators representing aportion of the battery life. Although four indicators are specificallymentioned, it is contemplated that any number of indicators may be used.As battery life of the receiver 200 drains, each of the indicators ofthe battery icon may be output in a different color. For example, asbattery life is depleted from a 100% charge to a 75% charge, the userinterface processor 330 of the receiver 200 causes the first indicatorof the battery icon to change from green, to yellow to red to indicatethat the user is reaching 75% charge while the remaining threeindicators of the battery icon are output in green. As power of thebattery of the receiver 200 is continually discharged, the remainingthree indicators are output in different colors to indicate thepercentage of power remaining in the battery. In certain embodiments,the battery icon may also indicate the level or percentage of powerremaining in the battery in which the user may continue to use allsystems and functionalities of the receiver 200, such as, for example,the display or the test strip port 360. Additionally, the battery iconmay display whether the battery of the receiver 200 is charging.

Referring back to FIG. 4, once the user interface processor 330 hasdetermined the amount of charge remaining in the battery of the receiver200, the determined amount of charge is compared to a minimumpredetermined power threshold level (420). If it is determined that thecharge count of the battery is greater than the predetermined threshold,all subsystems and functionalities of the receiver remain active (450).However, if it is determined that the charge count of the battery isless than the predetermined threshold, the user interface processor 330is configured to output a notification (430) that the receiver 200 willbe entering the play dead mode and that some functionalities of thereceiver 200 will be deactivated. In one aspect, the user interfaceprocessor 330 may be configured to determine which components of thereceiver 200 are consuming the most power and selectively deactivate theidentified components. Additionally, the notification may also indicatewhich components and/or operations of the receiver 200 will bedeactivated when the play dead mode is entered.

In certain embodiments, various alarms or other notifications may beoutput from the receiver 200 to warn the user that the power remainingin the battery is reaching a threshold level (e.g., 25% power). Inanother embodiment, multiple warnings or alerts may be output based oncertain battery levels being reached. For example, when the amount ofpower remaining in the battery reaches a first level, a user is warnedthat the battery needs to be charged within a determined amount of timebased on current battery power consumption. When the remaining amount ofpower in the battery reaches a second level, the receiver 200 enters theplay dead mode (440). In another embodiment, the user interfaceprocessor 330 of the receiver 200 is configured to estimate a time framebased on the current battery usage as to when the receiver 200 willenter the play dead mode. If the estimated amount of time elapses, thereceiver 200 enters play dead mode (440).

Additional description of alarms and the output of the alarms and playdead mode for certain embodiments are shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 Parameter Description Level Maximum Charge The programmedbattery capacity 12,000 count Level 0 threshold The battery percentageat which all 75%-100% percentage bars displayed in the UI charge Level 1threshold The battery percentage at which 3 50%-75% percentage barsdisplayed in the UI charge Level 2 threshold The battery percentage atwhich 2 25%-50% percentage bars displayed in the UI charge Level 3threshold The battery percentage at which 1 0%-25% percentage bar isdisplayed in the UI charge Battery Low Alarm 1 The battery percentage atwhich the <25% charge percentage first low battery alarm displayed tothe user Battery Low Alarm 2 The battery percentage at which the <3.65 Vor percentage second low battery alarm displayed <15% charge to the userBattery Warn Voltage The battery voltage below which the 3.65 V batterylow alarm should be raised Battery Dead Voltage The battery voltagebelow which 3.6 V system should be placed in play dead state BatterySelf Test The battery voltage below which the 3.7 V Voltage self-test(initiated by USB removal) will not be performed

FIG. 5 is a state diagram of battery charge and discharge features of areceiver, such as, for example, receiver 200 (FIG. 2) according toembodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, variousstates of the battery include an initial state 500, a battery chargingstate 505, a charge complete 510 state, a discharging state 515, andplay dead state 520. Although specific states have been discussed, it isunderstood that additional states may be used to govern the powersupply.

In certain embodiments, the battery remains in the charging state 505when the receiver 200 is connected to a peripheral power source and thebattery voltage and the receiver temperature are in a safe operationrange. In the charging state 505, all operations and functionalities ofthe receiver 200 are operable except for test strip measurements and auser initiated self test of the receiver 200. In certain embodiments, aself test enables a user to select and run a self test mode in which thereceiver 200 automatically tests whether various components of thereceiver are working properly. Such components may include a display, aspeaker, a memory, a vibratory indicator, and/or a test strip portlight. After each successive test, the results may be audibly and/orvisually output to a user. Although specific self tests have beenmentioned, it is contemplated that additional self tests related toother components of the receiver may be performed.

As discussed above, when in the charging state 505, an icon may beoutput on the display to indicate that a battery of the receiver 200 iscurrently being charged. In one aspect, the receiver 200 enters thecharge complete state 510 when the battery is completely charged and aUSB cable is connected to the receiver 200. However, as stated above,although the receiver 200 may still be connected to a power source, whenthe fully charged state 510 is reached, the processor, such as, forexample, the user interface processor 330 (FIG. 3) may be configured tocut off power to the battery so as not to overcharge the battery. Aspower from the battery is being discharged (e.g., 100% to 20% batterylife remaining) all functionalities of the receiver 200 are active suchas was described above with reference to FIG. 4. Additionally, thedisplay may be configured to graphically output the remaining batterypower.

When battery life reaches about 20% to 0%, the receiver 200 enters theplay dead mode 520 described above. In the play dead mode 520, certainfunctionalities of the receiver 200 are inoperable. State transitionsillustrated in FIG. 5 are further described in Table 2 below.

TABLE 2 Transition From To Description 525 Dis- Charging The receiver isplaced in USB cradle charging or connected to a USB cable, and thebattery is being charged. 530 Charging Discharging The receiver isremoved from USB cradle or disconnected from the USB cable and thesystem is operating with battery power. 535 Charging Charge The batteryis fully charged. complete 540 Charge Discharging The battery is in acompletely charged complete state and the receiver is removed from USBcradle or the USB cable is removed. 545 Init Play dead At reset when theUSB is not connected and the battery voltage is less than“PLAY_DEAD_VOLTAGE” or the charge count is less than 20% of the actualcapacity, 550 Init Charging At reset when the USB is connected. 555 InitDischarging At reset when the USB is not connected and the batteryvoltage is greater than “PLAY_DEAD_VOLTAGE” and the charge count isgreater than 20% of the Actual capacity. 560 Init Charge At reset whenthe USB is connected complete and the battery charging is not initiatedwithin 3 seconds. 565 Dis- Play Dead Charge Count drops below thecharging “PLAY_DEAD_VOLTAGE”.

Further aspects of the play dead mode are illustrated in FIG. 6. Forexample, in certain embodiments, the receiver 200 (FIG. 2) may beconfigured to enter play dead mode as a function of both voltage andtemperature. An exemplary embodiment of the play dead mode isillustrated as the hatched region 600 of FIG. 6. For example, thereceiver 200 enters the play dead mode at different minimum voltagesdepending upon the battery temperature. In one aspect, the receiver 200may be configured to enter the play dead mode when one of twotemperatures and corresponding minimum voltages are reached. Forexample, the two temperatures may be −5° C., and 0° C., and the twocorresponding minimum voltages may be 3.6V and 3.7V. As indicated bysolid black line 610, the receiver 200 enters the play dead mode if thebattery temperature is less than a first temperature (e.g., −5° C.),regardless of the battery voltage. In another embodiment, the receiver200 enters the play dead mode if the battery temperature is between thefirst and second temperatures (e.g., 0° C. and −5° C.) and the batteryvoltage is less than a first battery voltage (e.g., about 3.7V). If thebattery temperature is greater than the second temperature (e.g., 0° C.)or if the voltage is less than the second battery voltage (e.g., 3.7V),the receiver 200 will also enter the play dead mode. It is understoodthat a fewer or greater number of battery temperature and voltage pointsmay be selected, based upon the application (e.g., batterycharacteristics and power demands). Moreover, the battery temperatureand voltages that cause the transition to the play dead mode may beselectable and/or customizable by the user or health care professional.

With continued reference to FIG. 6, alarms are provided as illustratedby the solid and dashed lines 620, 630, 640. As indicated by arrow 1, analarm is output if the voltage of the battery is less than 3.75V and thebattery temperature is between 0° C. and −5° C. (620). As indicated byarrow 3, an alarm is output if the voltage is less than 3.65V and thebattery temperature is greater than 0° C. (640). As indicated by arrow2, an alarm sounds if the battery temperature is less than 5° C. and thevoltage is greater than 3.6V (630). An auto-recover mode is identifiedby the dashed lines (650). In certain embodiments, the receiver 200 isconfigured to automatically exit the play dead mode via the auto-recovermode when the processor detects that the voltage level of the batteryexceeds 3.8V and/or the battery temperature exceeds 8° C.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, the receiver 200 may beconfigured to reduce the overall electronic noise of the receiver 200during periods when data transmission is occurring, such as, forexample, when the receiver 200 is expecting a data packet from atransmitter unit, such as, for example transmitter unit 102 (FIG. 1). Toaccomplish the noise reduction, a processor of the receiver 200, suchas, for example, user interface processor 330 (FIG. 3) is configured totemporarily reduce the functionality of at least one component of thereceiver 200 during the transmission of signals from the transmitterunit 102.

One implementation of the noise reduction is referred to herein as the“quiet mode” in which the user interface processor 330 of the receiver200 temporarily reduces the intensity of light from a display, such asan OLED display, of the receiver 200. During the RF packet reception,the light level of the display is reduced for a short period of timewhich significantly reduces the noise caused by the display and improvesRF performance. This reduction in light is virtually imperceptible tothe user due to the very short duration of time in which the light hasbeen reduced. In some embodiments, the duration is about 15 to about 100milliseconds and occurs once every 60 seconds or at time intervals thatare determined based on, for example, expected time windows in whichdata packets are to be received from the transmitter unit 102.

Referring to FIG. 7, another implementation of noise reduction is toeffectively disconnect an antenna of an RF receiver 202 (FIG. 2) of thereceiver 200 (FIG. 2) using an antenna switch. As discussed herein, thesignal generated by the sensor 101 is received from the transmitter unit102 by an RF link, approximately once per minute. The RF receptionsignal path is from the antenna 710, through an antenna switch 720, intoa transceiver 730. One purpose of the antenna switch 720 is to enablethe antenna 710 to connect and disconnect to either the transmitterpower amplifier or to the receiver 200. In certain embodiments, theantenna 710 is connected to the receiver 200 through the antenna switch720 so as to enable the signal received from the transmitter unit 102 tobe more accurate. A processor 740 (e.g., glucose engine processor 350(FIG. 3)) of the receiver 200 controls the transceiver 730 and theantenna switch 720 in order to maximize noise reduction as will bedescribed in greater detail below.

In certain embodiments, control of the antenna switch 710 is provided byat least one processor of the receiver 200, such as, for example, theglucose engine processor 350 (FIG. 3) described above. Other circuits onthe receiver 200 that perform functions unrelated to data reception fromthe transmitter unit 102, such as, for example, the user interfaceprocessor 330, can generate RF noise that interferes with the signal.This circuitry is represented as local interference sources 750 in theblock diagram.

In certain embodiments, the receiver 200 is sensitive to on channelsignals at very low levels (e.g., about −110 dBm). However, this signalis desensitized by stronger signals such as, the local interferencesources 750, even though the local interference sources 750 may not beon the same channel. As the local interference sources 750 are in closeproximity to the antenna 710, the local interference sources 750desensitize the RF receiver 202 and may corrupt the data received fromthe transmitter unit 102 or cause the data to be inaccurate.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method 800 for reducing noise according toembodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 8, in certainembodiments, the method 800 described below may be used with componentsthat were described above with respect to FIG. 7. The routine forreducing noise begins when the receiver, such as, for example, receiver200 receives a sensor signal from the transmitter, such as, for example,transmitter unit 102 (810). In certain embodiments, the sensor signal isfirst received during the establishment of a transmission link betweenthe receiver 200 and the transmitter unit 102 or the initial pairing ofthe receiver 200 and transmitter unit 102. When establishing thetransmission link, a processor 740 (FIG. 7) of the receiver 200activates a transceiver 730 and waits for the data packet to betransmitted from the transmitter unit 102. Typically, the data packetwill arrive between 0 and 70 seconds after the transceiver 730 isactivated. Although this range is specifically mentioned, it iscontemplated that the data packet may arrive outside this time window,such as for example, after 70 seconds. In order to reduce the effects oflocal interference sources, the antenna switch 720 (FIG. 7) is used toeffectively disconnect the antenna (820) from an RF receiver 202 (FIG.2) of the receiver 200 which in turn reduces the effect of noise on thereceiver 200. Because the RF receiver 202 is not using the antenna 710the signal received from the transmitter unit 102 is attenuated byapproximately 20 dB. Although the signal is attenuated by 20 dB, thelocal noise level is also reduced by 20 dB which prevents the noise fromsubstantially interfering and desensitizing the RF receiver 202resulting in a more accurate signal. Further, even though the signal isattenuated by 20 dB, the receiver 200 may be in close proximity to thetransmitter unit 102 such that the signal attenuation is acceptable.Disconnecting the antenna 710 during the initial pairing not onlyreduces noise, but also helps establish a communication range betweenthe receiver 200 and the transmitter unit 102 when the antenna 710 isnot used.

Once the receiver 200 has received the first data packet and establisheda range of communication without the antenna 710 being used, thereceiver 200 is configured to determine a window of time (830) in whichthe next data packet will arrive from the transmitter unit 102. Incertain embodiments, the window of time is based on predeterminedsettings (e.g., once per minute). In another embodiment, the window oftime may be selected by a user or health care professional. Once thetime window is determined, the processor 740 activates the transceiver730 for a short duration to receive the next data packet based on thedetermined window of time. During the determined window of time, aprocessor (e.g., glucose engine processor 350 (FIG. 3)) of the receiver200 issues a command that causes one or more components (e.g., the localinterference sources 750) of the receiver 200 to be deactivated (840)for a short period of time (e.g., 25 mS) without substantially affectingthe other operations of the receiver 200.

In certain embodiments, the processor 740 asserts a quiet host signal700 during the determined time window to indicate to the rest of thecircuitry that it should enter a low power mode. Additionally, if it isdetermined that the receiver 200 is within range of the transmitter unit102 such that the antenna 710 is not needed, the processor 740 issues acommand to the switch 720 to disable the antenna (850) during thetransmission time window. As a result, the noise level is furtherreduced. In certain embodiments, the range may be a predetermined rangebased on a strength of the signal being transmitted from the transmitterunit 102 to the receiver 200. In another embodiment, the range isestablished during the initial pairing of the receiver 200 and thetransmitter unit 102 while the antenna 710 of the receiver 200 has beendisconnected as was described above. Further description of implementinga quiet mode can be found in, among others, U.S. Patent Publication No.2009/0076359, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,801,582, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

In certain embodiments, the quiet mode also refers to cessation of USBcommunication such as, for example, communication between the receiver200 and peripheral device, such as, for example, a remoter computer. Inone aspect, as will be described in detail below, the quiet mode alsorefers to the design of quiet mode blockers.

In certain embodiments, the receiver 200 may have several differentpower modes. Such modes include power saving modes in which the power ofexternal devices such as sound chips and LCD controllers are turned off.In such modes, the power consumption of one or more processors of thereceiver is maintained at a minimum level. In certain embodiments, atleast one processor, such as, for example the user interface processor330 (FIG. 3) of the receiver 200 includes three modes to manage powerconsumption. In the first mode (e.g., a run mode), all components (e.g.,a display, test strip port, flash memory, etc.) controlled by the userinterface processor 330 are active. In this mode, power consumption isat a maximum rate. The second mode is a doze mode. In the doze mode, atleast one processor of the receiver 200, such as, for example the userinterface processor 330 is essentially deactivated while a secondprocessor, such as, for example the glucose engine processor 350,enables required peripherals to run (e.g., calibration modules, internalclocks etc.). In the stop mode, both of the processors of the receiver200 are shut down and only a real time clock of the receiver 200 isactive.

FIG. 9 is a state diagram machine that illustrates the various states ofpower management of a receiver 200 such as were described above. Thesestates include a “RUN_MODE” state 910, in which at least one processorof the receiver, such as, for example a user interface processor 330(FIG. 3) is in the run mode, referred to above. In the “STOP_MODE” state920, the user interface processor 330 of the receiver 200 is in the stopmode as was described above. In the “QUIET_MODE” state 930, the timersof the operating system of the receiver 200 and most interrupts aredisabled, and one or more processors of the receiver 200 are placed intothe stop mode as was described above.

In certain embodiments, to reach the power saving function, the receiver200 must verify that there are no pending instructions that need to beexecuted prior to entering the power saving state. As such, blockers areused to indicate if a task or other executable action is in process andhas not yet been completed. In certain embodiments, each blocker is aflag. If all the blockers are released (e.g., no flags are set), thereceiver 200 enters the play dead mode such as was described above. Incertain embodiment, the receiver uses the following exemplary blockersas set forth in Table 3:

TABLE 3 Blocker Significance BLOCKER_AUDIO Set by Audio task to indicatethat the sound chip is playing BLOCKER_BACKLIGHT_PWM Set by UI statemachine to indicate that the back light is on now BLOCKER_WAKE_HOST Setby WAKE_HOST signal. If this flag is locked, the glucose engine 490communicates with UI processor 410 and UI cannot get into power savingmode BLOCKER_USB_IN Set by USB_IN signal. If this flag is set, a cableis connected to USB port and ready for connecting to a PC. (Note: Insome embodiments, the system uses BLOCKER_USB_WALLBRICK signal toindicate if the cable is connected.) BLOCKER_USB_DATA The UI is in thedata session with a PC and cannot get into quiet mode or stop mode.

Referring back to FIG. 9, the transitions between the states, in certainembodiments, are illustrated and summarized in Table 4 below. Afterpower to the receiver 200 is turned on, the receiver 200 enters theRUN_MODE state 910 (e.g., transition 905). The receiver 200 transitionsfrom the RUN_MODE state 910 to the STOP_MODE state 920 (transition 915)when any of the blockers are not set and when a task is not scheduled torun. In entering the STOP_MODE state 920, at least one processor of thereceiver 200 (e.g., the user interface processor 330) is deactivated andthe receiver 200 enters the low power state.

TABLE 4 Transition From To Conditions Description 915 RUN STOP noblocker set and PLLs are turned off there is no task and the systementers scheduled to run the low power state 925 STOP RUN Press of buttonon PLLs are turned on receiver or and system resumes OS timer or normalpower state USB cable plug-in or Interrupt from glucose engine 490 orTransition of the QUIET_HOST signal to HIGH or Transition of HOST_AWAKEsignal to HIGH. 935 RUN QUIET No blocker set PLLs are turned offTransition of and the OS timers QUIET_HOST stop signal to HIGH 940 QUIETRUN Transition of PLLs are turned on QUIET_HOST and system resumessignal to LOW normal power state

In one aspect, the receiver 200 is configured to transition from theSTOP_MODE state 920 to the RUN_MODE state 910 (transition 925) undercertain conditions. For example, an interrupt signal can “wake up” theuser interface processor 330 after the user interface processor 330 hasentered the play dead mode such that the user interface processorreturns to normal operation. In certain embodiments, a press of a buttonon the receiver 200, an OS timer, a USB cable plug-in and interrupt fromthe glucose engine processor 350 may wake up the deactivated userinterface processor 330 so that receiver 200 runs in normal mode havingall functionalities. In addition, the transition of the QUIET_HOSTsignal to HIGH by the glucose engine processor 350, or the transition ofthe HOST_AWAKE signal to HIGH will also transition the system fromSTOP_MODE state 920 to the RUN_MODE state 910.

Referring to the quiet mode 930, when in the quiet mode 930, the phaselocked loops of each processor (e.g., the user interface processor 330and the glucose engine processor 350) are shut down and clock 205 (FIG.2) is stopped. The receiver 200 enters the QUIET_MODE state 930 from theRUN_MODE state 910 when triggered by QUIET_HOST signal such as describedabove with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. For example, the receiver 200could transition to the QUIET_MODE state 930 if and only if the glucoseengine processor 350 raises the QUIET_HOST signal (transition 935). Theglucose engine processor 350 raises the QUIET_HOST signal just prior toreception of the RF packet from the transmitter unit 102, for example,once every about 50-70 seconds. In some embodiments, transmission occursonce about every 60 seconds±500 msec. Once the receiver 200 has enteredthe quite mode 930, this mode will persist for a predetermined amount oftime (e.g., about 100 ms). When in the QUIET_MODE state 930, the fallingedge of the QUIET_HOST transitions the receiver 200 out of theQUIET_MODE state 930 to the RUN_MODE state 910 (transition 940).

In certain embodiments, additional considerations are provided prior tothe receiver entering the quiet mode. For example, if the system detectsa USB connection when the system is in “QUIET_MODE” state 930, therewill be no USB interrupt because the USB is disabled in quiet mode. Ifthe user interface detects a “QUIET_HOST” rising edge during uploadingof data to a PC through the USB port, this request from glucose engineprocessor 350 to quiet the system will be ignored.

There are occasions that continuous communications between the receiver200 and an external device (e.g., a remote computer) are required for anextended period (e.g., for debugging, product engineering, hardwareverification and validation, historical data upload, etc.). During suchextended communications, it may be desirable to block the quiet modeentirely. Once the quiet mode is deactivated, communication between theremoter computer and the receiver may occur. In certain embodiments, thecommunication link between the remote computer and receiver only occurswhen data packets are not being received by the receiver. At the end ofthe period of time between packets, the PC application closes thecommunication link and waits for a signal which indicates that thepacket transmission has been completed. In some embodiments, thisprocess will continue as long as the PC application wants to communicatewith the device. This technique may avoid the dangling and hanging ofthe PC application as a result of the receiver going to the quiet modeand shutting down the USB clock before the PC application closes the USBport.

In yet another embodiment, noise reduction techniques are also employedby placement of the antenna in relation to the noise generatingcircuits. In such embodiments, the antenna may be placed in an area soas to isolate the antenna from the noise source by being as far asphysically possible from the noise source. Conversely, it is alsocontemplated that noise sources may be placed as far as possible fromthe antenna. Additional design features may be included to increase theisolation, such as ground planes, metal shields, and slots cut in theprinted circuit board.

Additionally, it is contemplated that the antenna may be placed toimprove signal strength by minimizing obstacles between the signal andantenna. Such considerations include hand placement positions when auser is holding the device as the user's hand may block the signal.Accordingly, the antenna may be placed on an outside edge that will notbe covered by the hand of the user.

In the manner described above, an analyte monitoring device, such as,for example a receiver, may be configured to enter an operating mode(e.g., a power conservation mode) in which certain functionalitiesand/or components of the analyte monitoring device are selectivelydisabled. In certain embodiments, this operating mode is entered whenthe remaining power of a power source of the analyte monitoring devicehas reached a predetermined minimum threshold level. In certainembodiments, the functionalities and/or components that are disabled arethose components and/or functionalities that require the most batterypower. Thus, disabling the components and/or functionalities thatconsume the most power may prolong the time before the analytemonitoring system shuts down due to lack of power which may result inthe loss of data. Other conditions that may prompt the analytemonitoring device to enter the operating mode disclosed herein mayinclude low or high operating temperatures of the analyte monitoringdevice that may cause data corruption or erroneous behavior if theanalyte monitoring device were to continue operating under suchconditions.

In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a method is describedin which one or more components of the analyte monitoring device areselectively deactivated during a time window in which the analytemonitoring device is to receive and/or transmit data. Because the one ormore components are deactivated, the noise generated by those componentsis reduced which results in an enhanced and more accurate signal.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure may include determining atemperature level of a power source of an analyte monitoring device,determining a level of power remaining in the power source of theanalyte monitoring device, and selectively deactivating at least onecomponent of the analyte monitoring device when at least one of thetemperature level of the power source reaches a predeterminedtemperature threshold or when the level of power remaining in the powersource reaches a predetermined power threshold.

In certain embodiments, the at least one component may be a display.

In certain embodiments, the display may be an organic light emittingdiode (OLED) display.

In certain embodiments, the at least one component may be a test stripinterface.

In certain embodiments, the at least one component may be a memorydevice.

In certain embodiments, the memory device may be a flash memory device.

In certain embodiments, the predetermined temperature threshold may beabout zero degrees Celsius.

In certain embodiments, the predetermined temperature threshold may beabout negative five degrees Celsius.

In certain embodiments, the predetermined power threshold may be about3.6V.

In certain embodiments, the predetermined power threshold may be about3.7V.

In certain embodiments, selectively deactivating the at least onecomponent may comprise determining an amount of power needed by the atleast one component and deactivating the at least one component when thedetermined amount of power exceeds a threshold level.

In other certain aspects of the present disclosure, an apparatus mayinclude one or more processors, and a memory operatively coupled to theone or more processors, the memory for storing instructions which, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, causes the one or moreprocessors to determine a temperature level of a power source of theapparatus, determine a level of power remaining in the power source ofthe apparatus, and selectively deactivate at least one component of theapparatus when at least one of the temperature level of the power sourcereaches a predetermined temperature threshold or when the level of powerremaining in the power source reaches a predetermined power threshold.

Other certain aspects of the present disclosure may include providing areceiving unit comprising a radio frequency (RF) receiver, receiving asignal relating to an analyte concentration of a patient, determining atime window for receiving a subsequent signal corresponding toadditional analyte concentrations of the patient, and selectivelydeactivating at least one of an antenna of the receiving unit or atleast one component of the receiving unit during the determined timewindow.

In certain embodiments, the antenna may be deactivated using a switch.

Certain embodiments may include determining a transmission range betweenthe receiving unit and the transmitter.

Certain embodiments may include deactivating the antenna when thedetermined transmission range is within a predetermined transmissionrange threshold.

In certain embodiments, the transmission range may be based on astrength of the signal.

Various other modifications and alterations in the structure and methodof operation of this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in theart without departing from the scope and spirit of the embodiments ofthe present disclosure. Although the present disclosure has beendescribed in connection with particular embodiments, it should beunderstood that the present disclosure as claimed should not be undulylimited to such particular embodiments. It is intended that thefollowing claims define the scope of the present disclosure and thatstructures and methods within the scope of these claims and theirequivalents be covered thereby.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: providing a receiving unitcomprising a radio frequency (RF) receiver; receiving a signal relatingto an analyte concentration of a patient; determining a time window forreceiving a subsequent signal corresponding to additional analyteconcentrations of the patient; activating the receiving unit to receivethe subsequent signal during the determined time window; and selectivelydeactivating at least one of an antenna of the receiving unit or atleast one component of the receiving unit during the determined timewindow when the receiving unit is activated to receive the subsequentsignal.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna is deactivatedusing a switch.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least onecomponent is a display.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the display isan organic light emitting diode (OLED) display.
 5. The method of claim1, further comprising establishing a communication link between thereceiving unit and a remote communication unit.
 6. The method of claim5, further comprising deactivating the antenna when the communicationlink is established.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprisingissuing a command, during the determined time window, to deactivate atleast one of the antenna of the receiving unit or the at least onecomponent of the receiving unit.
 8. The method of claim 1, whereindeactivating at least one of the antenna of the receiving unit or the atleast one component of the receiving unit reduces noise at the receivingunit during the determined time window.